A few doors down, Barrio Costero offers hip Mexican cuisine.Ĭookman Avenue remains a vital area, with upscale Japanese Taka, gourmet pizzeria Talula’s (one of NJM’s favorite Jersey pizza spots), seafood stalwart the Bonney Read and, on nearby Mattison Avenue, Black Swan Public House, a classic pub, among the draws.

It’s owned by the Smith group, whose stable includes the lovely French restaurant Pascal & Sabine on Bangs. On the boardwalk, changes are coming, as new owners renovate (for 2024 opening) the stable they acquired from pioneer Marilyn Schlossbach: Langosta Lounge, Asbury Park Yacht Club and Pop’s Garage.Ī few blocks from the beach, on Bangs Avenue, stands Porta, renowned for its pizza and its social scene. At the south end, Stella Marina (“star of the sea”) serves up oceanfront views as well as Italian cooking. At the north end of town, veteran restaurateur Tim McLoone transformed the old Howard Johnson’s, in all its doo-wop architectural glory, into Tim McLoone’s Supper Club. Though those pioneers are gone, restaurants remain as central to Asbury Park as the beach and the music scene.

New places such as Sonny’s Southern Cuisine, Bistro Ole and Harry’s Roadhouse invigorated a moribund downtown. Photo by Christopher LaneĪt the turn of the 21st century, restaurants led the way in the revitalization of this Shore town, once so emblematic that local hero Bruce Springsteen called his 1973 debut album Greetings From Asbury Park. A proper pour of Guinness draft should take exactly 119 seconds, says chef/owner James Avery.

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